8 Ways of Writing Fiction From Real Life

When I think about how to write a book, two camps of thought come to mind: the experience writers versus the method writers. Yes, I made these terms up. At some point in your writing career, you've heard the phrase, "write what you know." Experience writers cling to this idea. They write fiction about their hometowns, and stories with variations of characters they have actually met. Method writers often believe that this is cheating, and that fiction should be fiction, through and through.

I happen to fall somewhere in the middle of these two camps. In my upcoming novel, These Are the Moments, the story is set in my own hometown. There are characters with combined qualities of people I know or have known, and I've even included "easter eggs" for my friends, as a way for them to see themselves in my art. But here's the important thing: my novel is fiction, and any resemblance to real life is used in a fictionalized way.

For those of you looking to incorporate some real life events/places/people into your fiction, allow me to break this down for you:

Setting

Real town, fictionalized properties

Maybe you want to write about a town that you personally know, but you’d like to add certain stores or locations. For example, “The Oak Room” in my book is not an actual bar in Baton Rouge, but of course, it is a real city.

Fictionalized town, real properties

Try making your own town, but placing real life places in it. For example, maybe a Target or a Chipotle. This helps the town to feel a bit more real to the reader.

Events

Real events, fictionalized details

Say there’s a crazy story you’re just dying to share. For example, your friend was mistaken for a celebrity. To fictionalize this, try changing the name of the celebrity or maybe the gender. Maybe it happens at school instead of a bar. Get creative!

Fictionalized events, real details

This topic fits in with my “easter egg” technique. For instance, in one scene, my main character wears a scrunchie and slippers to sleep. This is a real detail that belongs to one of my friends; however, the event surrounding it is fictional.

Characters

This is where we’re going to get really creative. You have a few options with this one, so get excited!

Real qualities, fictionalized characters

If you really admire a certain quality about someone, feel free to incorporate it into your characters. Let’s say that you know someone who never remembers to take their keys when they leave the house. You can use this trait and apply it to a character.

Real qualities from multiple people, single character

There’s a great possibility that your character will have more than one personality trait, and that these traits may come from real life. You may know someone who enjoys fishing as a hobby. And maybe you know someone else who is a family-oriented person. These two traits could wrap up into one character, and inspire an amazing fictional story.

Real person, fictional traits

If you want to write a fictional story about someone you know, be sure to include other fictional elements. Change them up with some conflicting traits. See the other categories for guidance as well.

Real person, real traits, fictional storyline

Let’s pretend you want to write a zombie novel starring Joan of Arc. While you don’t know her personally, you would most likely assign real characteristics that she’s perceived to have. In this case, you’re writing a real person with real traits, in an invented storyline where she fights zombies.

For more advice on characterization, read this article on How to Write Fool-Proof Characters.

The key to incorporating elements from real life into your novel is to make sure that you are still writing fiction. When you become a novelist, you’ll often hear people ask, “Is this based off a real story?” It makes them feel more invested somehow. They want your book to serve as reflection of who you are.

To those people, I say, “Every story is a real story, as long as there’s someone to read it.”